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Federal Council votes for permanent introduction of 70-day rule

The increase of the time limits for a short-term employment without social insurance to 70 days is now permanent. The Federal Council has also agreed to this in its last year's meeting on this Friday.

Federal Minister of Agriculture Julia Klöckner welcomes the approval: "Our efforts have paid off: Special cultural enterprises in particular often rely on seasonal workers, which is why it was important for us to clarify this situation." Companies now have a better chance of attracting skilled workers for the entire season. For foreign seasonal workers it remains attractive to come to Germany for seasonal labor, which is an important sign for our farmers to ensure that the cultivation of wine, fruit and vegetables in Germany continues to be internationally competitive in the face of rising labor costs. "

In order to address any problems, in particular seasonal work, through the introduction of the minimum wage in 2015, the time limits for social insurance-free employment were temporarily increased from two to three months. The indefinite increase in the time limit to 70 days is part of the comprehensive law to strengthen the opportunities for qualification and for more protection in unemployment insurance (Qualification Opportunities Act), which the German Bundestag has decided on 30 November.

If employment is no more than 70 working days or not more than three months within the calendar year and is not a professional activity, it is called a short-term employment. In short-term employment there is freedom of insurance in all social security branches. Since the introduction of the 70-day rule, no socio-political concerns have been identified. The number of short-term occupations has hardly changed during this period. Also part of this law is the abolition of the farm tax obligation for farmers, whereby entitlement to a retirement pension is no longer linked to the company's taxes.